The present invention relates to a spectacles frame comprising:
two temples, each of which has a temple body lying between a first temple end portion and a second temple end portion;
a frame body having housing-forming means inside which both of the first temple end portions are housed, and into which each of the temple bodies can be inserted via respective ones of a first opening and of a second opening in said housing-forming means so as to take up a rest position, said temple bodies being suitable for being extracted from said housing-forming means so as to take up an in-use position, said housing-forming means having a first end portion and a second end portion situated respectively in the vicinities of said first and second openings; and
retaining means for retaining each of said first temple end portions in said in-use position, in a respective one of said first end portion and said second end portion of said housing-forming means, each of said first temple end portions being provided with a retaining head.
Patent Document FR 2 735 878 discloses a spectacles frame of the type having rectractable temples, and having housing-forming means which, in the vicinity of each end portion, are provided with hinge means, each of which has an inside channel which, depending on its position, can be aligned with the housing-forming means or not aligned therewith. Each channel can be placed in a first position in which the corresponding retractable temple can be inserted into the housing-forming means by passing through the channel. When the channel is in a second position, each temple is disposed in an in-use position out of the housing-forming means. Each temple is further provided with a head which enables the temple to be retained by bearing against a surface of the hinge member, and each hinge member is further provided with a resilient member suitable for projecting into the channel to co-operate with a concave zone formed in the temple, so as to hold said temple in its extracted position.
Thus, those hinge members are relatively complex because they are secured to the frame body while being mounted to move relative thereto, and each of them is made up of an assembly of parts so as to enable the temples to pass through them each time a changeover takes place between the rest position and the in-use position, the hinge members not being inserted into the housing-forming means.
The hinge means thus remain visible, even in the rest position. In order to prevent them from being too visible, which spoils appearance, the hinge members must be miniaturized, which complicates manufacturing them and increases the cost of them.
An object of the present invention is to remedy those drawbacks by proposing spectacles frames having rectractable temples that are simpler to manufacture and that have fewer parts.
This object is achieved by means of the facts that each of said end portions of said housing-forming means is provided with at least a first constriction which is suitable for retaining the respective retaining head inside said housing-forming means; and that, in the vicinity of said first temple end portion, each temple body has a flexible zone which has flexibility greater than the flexibility of an ordinary portion of said temple and which, in the in-use position, forms a bend suitable for being opened out for penetrating into the housing-forming means.
In the in-use position, the flexible zone has a bend which replaces known hinge members and constitutes an xe2x80x9cendogenousxe2x80x9d hinge. Thus, in the rest position, only the second temple end portion remains visible and projects from the frame body. However it may project to a small extent only, and, if it is curved, it may come to be placed against the sides of the lenses.
The flexible zone has flexibility sufficient for the bend to be deformed very easily, and preferably in the preferred direction only, corresponding to the movement of opening and closing the bend.
In this zone, the flexibility is greater than in the ordinary portion of the temple, and therefore, in order to obtain deformation of equal amplitude, the forces that need to be exerted in the flexible zone are very considerably smaller than the force that need to be exerted in the ordinary portion of the temple. As a result, the ordinary portion continues to have sufficient strength. In particular, when the temple is to be inserted into the housing-forming means, firstly the ordinary portion of the temple is moved so as to open the bend, so that said ordinary portion is placed in alignment with the housing-forming means, and then thrust is exerted in the longitudinal direction of the ordinary portion of the temple. Because of its high flexibility, the flexible portion does not tend to exert large opposing forces preventing it from entering the housing-forming means. The ordinary portion is of strength sufficient to prevent it from bowing under the action of the longitudinal force that is applied to it.
In addition, the deformation of the flexible zone is elastic, i.e. it is reversible. As soon as said flexible zone is out of the housing-forming means, it naturally takes up its bent shape again.
In addition, the flexible zone is sufficiently resilient and flexible to be easily deformed repeatedly, without breaking, between a first extreme position and a second extreme position. The first position, to which the flexible zone returns naturally when it is not subjected to any stress, corresponds to a position in which the flexible zone forms the bend, while the second position, obtained by opening out the angle defining the bend at rest corresponds to the position in which the flexible zone can penetrate into the housing-forming means.
The housing-forming means further enable the flexible zone to keep the bend opened out to the necessary extent throughout the duration of the rest position, by having, as explained below, abutments for the first temple end portion.
The first constriction is provided in each end portion of the housing-forming means so as to retain the retaining head of the temple while said temple is being extracted from said housing-forming means. For this purpose, said first constriction has a small dimension in at least a first direction. The person skilled in the art can orient said direction of the constriction as a function of the shape and of the position of the retaining head.
Advantageously, each of said end portions of said housing-forming means is further provided with a second constriction in the vicinity of each first constriction, which second constriction has a small dimension in a second direction, said second direction being transverse to said first direction.
This second constriction makes it possible firstly to guarantee that the retaining head is retained securely if the first constriction is insufficient, and secondly to prevent the temple in the in-use position from moving, by coming into contact with the first temple end portion. In said in-use position, the first constriction retains the retaining head while the second constriction co-operates with that temple portion which is situated between the head and the bend.
Advantageously, each of said end portions of said housing-forming means is further provided with a third constriction closer to the opening adjacent to said end portion, which third constriction has a small dimension in said second direction.
When the third constriction is associated with the second constriction, the temple end portion which, in the in-use position, remains inside the housing-forming means, is braced against the second and third constrictions, thereby preventing the temple from moving to any extent.
Each of said end portions of said housing-forming means is further provided with a fourth constriction which is analogous to the first constriction, but which is closer to the opening.
Considered together, the four constrictions define eight abutment points for the temples, which points make it possible to facilitate inserting the temples into the housing-forming means by guiding said temples.
In a first embodiment, said housing-forming means are formed by a single tube, and each constriction is formed in said tube which is implemented in one piece. Thus, the temples are inserted into the same tube, which makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the housing-forming means.
In a second embodiment, the housing-forming means comprise a tube and two sleeves inserted into said tube at respective ones of the first and second end portions of said housing-forming means.
As described in more detail below, the shaping of the housing-forming means that makes it possible to retain the retaining heads of the temples may be performed on the sleeves, and in particular on portions of said sleeves that are masked by the tube, so as not to be visible from the outside.
Thus, for each of the end portions of the housing-forming means, the first constriction is advantageously formed by a portion of the sleeve that is inserted into the corresponding end portion.
For each end portion of the housing-forming means, the first constriction is advantageously formed by a difference between the cross-section of the sleeve inserted in the tube and the cross-section of the corresponding end portion of the tube, so that the sleeve has an abutment surface for the retaining head. The retaining head of the temple has an intermediate cross-section between the two above-mentioned cross-sections so that it can be retained against the abutment surface of the sleeve. The cross-sections of the sleeve, of the tube, and of the head that are considered above are measured in the same direction.
Advantageously, for each sleeve, the first constriction is formed at that end of the sleeve which faces towards the inside of said tube.
Thus, the retaining head of the temple is retained inside the tube against the sleeve, while the remainder of the temple can extend outside, in the in-use position.
Advantageously, that end of each sleeve which faces towards the inside of the tube has at least one notch into which the retaining head of the temple co-operating with the corresponding sleeve can be inserted.
Each sleeve has a notch that is oriented in the same plane as the notch containing the retaining head, so that said retaining head can slide inside the notch during a changeover from the rest position to the in-use position and vice versa, and can thus be prevented from turning therein by abutting against the sides of the notch. Thus the notch prevents the temple in question from turning in the housing-forming means.
Advantageously, that end of each sleeve which is situated inside the tube has two notches into at least one of which the retaining head of the temple that co-operates with the corresponding sleeve can be inserted. Advantageously, the geometrical shape of the retaining head and the positions of the notches are chosen so that the retaining head can be inserted into the two notches when the temples are in the in-use position.
Considered together, for each sleeve, the two notches, which are advantageously aligned in the same diametral plane of the sleeve, form additional abutment points which make it possible to retain the temple in question securely in the housing-forming means in the in-use position. When the temple extends out of the housing-forming means, it is subjected to external stresses (handling by the wearer, etc.) which can cause it to turn about its main axis.
Advantageously, for each of said end portions of the housing-forming means, said second constriction is formed by a portion of the sleeve.
The second constriction is formed directly on the sleeve so as to facilitate making the housing-forming means. The tube may then have a circular cross-section, in particular in the vicinities of its openings.
For each sleeve, the second constriction is formed at that end of the sleeve which faces towards the outside of said tube.
As in the first embodiment, said second constriction, taken in combination with the first constriction, prevents the temple from moving in the in-use position, by coming into contact with the first temple end portion. As in the first embodiment, in said in-use position, the first constriction retains the retaining head, while the second constriction co-operates with that portion of the temple which is situated between the head and the bend.
The spectacles frame is further provided with two caps which cover respective ones of said end portions of said housing-forming means, and through which respective ones of the temples pass.
The caps covering the end portions of the housing-forming means cover, in particular, the second constriction which can be visible on the frame, and which can then appear somewhat unattractive. The presence of the caps thus contributes to masking this defect, and even makes it possible to embellish the frame by having a decorative appearance, for example. The end wall of each cap is provided with an opening for passing the corresponding temple.
Thus, in both embodiments, the housing-forming means are provided with at least two constrictions (one at each end), which constrictions are formed either directly on the tube which constitutes the housing-forming means, or by reducing the inside cross-section of such a tube, by means of the presence of two sleeves in said tube.
In order to simplify the construction of the spectacles frames in the two embodiments in question, the temple body and the first temple end portion advantageously form one piece. In fact, it is the temple itself which, by means of the flexible zone, acts as the hinge, without requiring any additional separate coupling element to be mounted.
Advantageously, each temple has a cross-section of parallelogram shape with sides extending in the first and second directions so that each temple cannot turn in said housing-forming means.
When each branch has a cross-section of parallelogram shape with sides extending in two directions, the small dimensions of the first and second constrictions are advantageously oriented in respective ones of the first and second directions so that said branch cannot turn in said housing-forming means.
Advantageously, said bend has a radius of curvature of about 15 millimeters (mm) which, associated with the first and third constrictions which are appropriately spaced apart along the tube, makes it possible to hold the temple securely in the in-use position by means of the sides of the temple abutting against said constrictions.
Advantageously, each temple is heat treated so as to improve the mechanical properties of its component material.
In addition, said flexible zone advantageously has a local zone that is heat treated so as to improve the flexibility of the flexible zone relative to the flexibility of the ordinary portion of the temple.
The various treatments to which the temple is subjected may, for example, be performed while placing a mask over the zones that are not to be treated.
The flexible zone advantageously, and optionally in addition to being heat treated, further has a small section that is smaller than the section of said ordinary portion of the temple body, so as to increase its flexibility. The small section of said temple body may advantageously be obtained by drawing or by machining.
The invention will be better understood and its advantages will appear more clearly on reading the following detailed description of embodiments shown by way of non-limiting example.